Ken Griffey Jr. still delivering big hits for Mariners, just less often

AP Photo/Lenny IgnelziSeattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, right, and teammate Ken Griffey Jr. enjoy a good laugh just prior to an interleague baseball game against the San Diego Padres on June 17. Griffey is batting just .220, but his bright personality and star power have been a major reason for the team's success.

SEATTLE -- Ken Griffey Jr. pulled his ringing cell phone from his pocket during an interview following the Mariners' dramatic 4-3 win Friday over Arizona at Safeco Field in which his pinch-hit, two-run homer tied the game in the eighth inning.

The sound from the phone was not a typical ring tone. Instead, a screeching falsetto voice delivered the jingle for the mock hair product "Soul Glo" from the 1988 comedy "Coming to America," inducing laughter from those within earshot and putting a smile on his face.

"That's the greatest ring tone ever," he said.

It was also fitting, given its era. Griffey's performance evoked memories of his past greatness, which began in Seattle in 1989 at the tender age of 19. His 619th-career home run came on a classic, picturesque swing that Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said reminded him of a teenage Griffey.

Such sights, however, have been rare during Griffey's return to Seattle for what many believe will be the 39-year-old's farewell season. His career-low batting average of .219, seven home runs and 22 RBIs were not what Seattle hoped for when it sought to add power to its weak offense.

But nobody in the clubhouse has disparaged Griffey's contributions to the team's surprising 35-34 start. He is credited for helping to improve the toxic atmosphere of a team that finished 61-101 last season and has provided star power and leadership to a roster rife with journeymen, underachieving youth and bloated contracts.

"He likes to have fun, he likes to joke around, he's loose, he keeps everybody else loose," Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. "As much as his (batting) numbers may not show it, he's still a huge presence in the lineup. He gets walked an awful lot just because he's Ken Griffey Jr. Whether he's swinging the bat well or not."

AP Photo/John FroschauerSeattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. hits a game-tying two-run home run on a pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks' Tony Pena during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Seattle Friday.

Washburn said opposing pitchers still fear Griffey, as evidenced by the lengthy mound conference the Diamondbacks held Friday before Griffey's appearance, which drew a standing ovation before he entered the batter's box. And that presence helps the rest of the team.

But none of that has been enough to get Griffey into the lineup every day. He's appeared in 53 games, 41 as a designated hitter and eight in the outfield with a handful of pinch-hit appearances.

Before each game, Griffey scoots the 20 feet from his locker near the clubhouse entrance to the board where Wakamatsu's lineup appears about three hours before each game. On Friday, the left-handed hitting Griffey saw a lineup that didn't include him even though the team faced right-hander Jon Garland.

But Griffey didn't fret and, as usual, accepted his role.

"I just go out there and do what I can, when I can," he said following the game.

He's also embraced the positives. While the DH, Griffey takes advantage of not playing in the outfield by watching video of opposing pitchers. But he said over-thinking can also be a problem and is something to be avoided when playing in the field.

Limiting Griffey's play in the outfield is all about preserving his health. But Griffey has played more in the outfield lately and he's having his best month at the plate so far, hitting .250. Griffey has flashed some of the brilliance in the field that led to his winning 10 Gold Gloves. And with left fielder Endy Chavez out for the season with knee ligament damage following a brutal collision with shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt on Friday, Griffey could see more time in the field.

"To see him out there making a couple of nice plays kind of gives a boost that you can throw him out there a little bit more than we have," Wakamatsu said.

Griffey's credibility seems to grow in baseball circles with each fallen superstar stained by allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. Griffey is presumed to have reached 600 home runs on sheer talent despite missing hundreds of games because of injuries during his career.

"Every guy that gets outed just ads a little more to what he's done in everybody's eyes," Washburn said. "I don't think that anybody would argue the fact that if he would have stayed healthy back in the prime of his career that he'd be up there going after (Hank) Aaron and (Babe) Ruth and (Barry) Bonds' home run records."

After the media dispersed Friday, Griffey said the funny thing about his "Soul Glo" ring tone was that he sometimes used it as his song when he came to the plate while playing in Cincinnati.

"I might have to bring it back," he said.

But he wouldn't be bringing back the Jheri curl hairstyle associated with the product. That would stay in the past along with the consistency of his classic swing. But every once in a while the stroke may appear, and for Seattle, that's more than good enough.